Week 4 - Day 5
- Pray - Praise God for allowing you freedom to study His word.
- Read 1 Peter 4 - Work to write a brief summary of the entire chapter.
- Action Plan - How are you going to take this learning beyond your Bible? How can you expect to see it in action in your life?
- Comment - Tell us how you will apply this learning. It's best to be specific. For instance, if your aim is to be more hospitable, set a specific goal of opening your home to others once a month.
Thank you for sharing in the study of His word with me!
This is such an encouraging chapter. I've enjoyed reading this with you out there in Texas Lindsey and out there (wherever else) you all are living. =)
ReplyDeleteMy goal for being hospitable is to be others focused and not me focused. My Bible had an excellent footnote for Romans 12:13 about this that I just read this morning. The footnote explained the difference between entertaining and showing true Christain hospitality. It revealed that that entertaining is focused on the host, their ability to make the home and food just so and their overall demeanor needing to be that which is relaxed and good-natured, whereas Christain hospitality is others focused, making their needs the center... needs such as a place to stay, nourishing food, a listening ear or just acceptance. What an obvious truth but yet what a revelation that has been for me. My action plan with this is to be more spontaneous with my time and more open in my heart to meeting the needs of others, moreso then my needing to feel reassured in how well I met them. I will make it a goal to get over myself and show this hospitality at a time the Lord prompts me to do so, without having planned for it.
My overall perspective of chapter 4 is an encouraged heart that I feel the Lord working in to help me put things in perspective. The hospitality one really hit home for me and I am so thankful for the light God's Word has shed in this area of my life. But, the majority of this chapter is about Christain suffering for the sake of Christ. It's so hard to even relate to because our persecution is so minimal in comparision to the persecution our brothers and sisters are facing in other parts of the world. The way we suffer for His name is nothing compared to how others have during this time in which Peter is writting and during this time still around the world. This chapter gives me a heart full of thankfulness for the freedom we have here and with that, a sense of responsibility to not take this freedom for granted. It also reminded me to remain prayerful for others who are enduring true persection for His sake. Those reminders I plan to put into action by my focus in my daily prayer and thought life, commiting to including our brothers and sisters aroun the world in my daily prayers. I also plan to take action by being more bold for His names sake, being a good steward of the freedom I have been given in this country.
This will be short because I am already a couple of days behind in my commenting. I enjoyed summarizing the chapter. It made me concentrate on the high points and what was really being said. My aim to apply the teachings of this chapter: I want to have an open home, a welcoming home. I need to be more diligent in keeping my house "ready" for guests. Not perfect. Not spotless. But, ready. I am going to aim to be a better housekeeper. In doing so, I can offer hospitality without the trappings of a major cleaning effort before I am ready.
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